Mr Moran said the authority was acting on its response to the Sussex Penn review, which made recommendations regarding design excellence at the Sydney waterfront urban renewal project.

Mr Nation, a past president of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects, moved from Hong Kong for the job. He will provide design advice to the authority regarding buildings proposed by Lend Lease, the developer of the Barangaroo South precinct, and those in other parts of the development.

The authority said his advice, and that of three advisers, Karl Fender, Keith Cottier and Richard Nugent, would be independent of the state government design review panel.

The appointment comes after weeks of debate about James Packer’s plans to establish a second Sydney casino at Barangaroo.

After starting his career in Tasmania in the 1970s, Mr Nation has worked in Hong Kong, Bangkok, Melbourne, Sydney and Dubai. His Australian projects include the World Tower at the World Square complex, for Meriton Apartments, and the Victoria Park residential complex, both in Sydney, and the Asia Centre at Melbourne University.

Offshore, he has worked on projects including the Australian Embassy in Beijing.